The Lost Hightopp
by katzsoa
Summary: On Horunvendush Day, the Red Queen took over Underland, destroying Witzend and with it, the Hightopp family, leaving Tarrant Hightopp, the Mad Hatter, all alone. Or was he?
1. Horunvendush Day

**Author's Note:** This story has absolutely nothing to do with my other Alice in Wonderland story. This idea was brought up by someone on TV Tropes whose name I do not know. I still do not own the characters.

Horunvendush Day began as a happy day in Witzend. Mirana of Marmoreal, the White Queen, was visiting the region and the civilians had thrown a festival in her honor. And for the Hightopps, it was a day for a happy reunion.

"Father, father!" Lomenstra Hightopp squealed as she ran to greet a member of the arriving procession. The White Courtiers laughed good-naturedly at this breach of formality, especially when Tarrant Hightopp bent down to give his ten-year-old daughter a hug.

"How's palace life?" asked the young girl.

"It's wonderful, Lomenstra," her father answered, straightening the small hat on her head. "But it's also wonderful to be back home. Where are your mother and Willmorat?"

"Over here, Father," Lomenstra said. "Everyone's so excited to have you back!"

"If you'll excuse me," Tarrant said, nodding to the courtiers and bowing to the White Queen, who waved him off with a smile.

"Tarrant!" Petronella Hightopp called to her husband.

"Hello, Pet," he answered, giving her a kiss. "And how's little Willy?" he asked the infant in her arms. "I'm sure he's grown since I was here last."

"We're all just fine, Tarrant," Petronella said, smiling. "It's a shame the Queen isn't wearing one of your hats today!"

"The crown suits her nicely, though," Tarrant said, glancing over at his Queen.

"Look at what I did for Willmorat, Father!" Lomenstra said, pointing to where she had embroidered "Willy" onto his shirt.

"You do beautiful work, my dear," Tarrant chuckled. "I'm sure you'll make wonderful hats when you grow up."

A band started to play, and a few dancers stepped up to entertain their Queen.

"Shall we go and watch?" Tarrant asked his wife, who handed Willmorat to his older sister.

"Be a dear and watch Willy for me, please," she said.

"Yes, Mother." Petronella followed her husband across the town square to where the Queen and her courtiers stood, while Lomenstra sat down on the grass to entertain Willy by moving his arms so that it appeared he was dancing to the music.

Everyone was enjoying themselves. Tarrant himself was clapping in time to the music. Suddenly it seemed as though a dark cloud covered the sky. The White Queen and Tarrant looked upwards in alarm, gaping at the creature towering over them.

_The Jabberwocky!_

The Jabberwocky opened its mouth and blasted a ball of purple flames and lightning at the ground. People around Lomenstra screamed and tried to run away. The White Queen's horse, spooked by the explosion, reared up on its hind legs, causing the Queen to drop her crown in her efforts to not fall off. Tarrant grabbed at the reins. The next blast landed dangerously close to the Queen. Lomenstra gasped as she saw several people, including her mother, vanish into the flames.

"Mother! _Mother!_" she screamed, getting to her feet. But there was no help for Petronella Hightopp.

"Father! Father, help me!" she cried, but she watched her father leave, helping the Queen escape. She rushed to follow him, but tripped and dropped her brother.

"Willy!" she shrieked, trying to find him, but there was no sign of the baby in the chaos.

She glanced behind her. There was the Jabberwocky. The last thing Lomenstra Hightopp ever saw was a lot of purple light.

Tarrant would return later to find no one alive in his hometown. The grief for his lost family and friends and the guilt that he did not do anything to save them would drive him mad. He had no way of knowing that he was not, in fact, the last Hightopp living.

There are many ways between Underland and Overland, the rabbit hole Alice fell through being only one of them. By chance, little Willmorat had fallen through one of those ways. He landed, wailing, in a strange town, where he was taken by a friendly stranger to an orphanage, where they named him for the nickname on his clothes. Shortly afterwards, a single dentist would adopt him. The boy grew up not knowing that he was adopted or that he was from another world. He never knew that he was Willmorat Hightopp of Underland.

He was now Willy Wonka of England, dentist's son and future greatest candy maker of all time.

**Author's Note: **Please review! I don't know how much I'm going to work on this story right now, but I just wanted to get the beginning out there.


	2. The Nightmare

Willy Wonka sat bolt upright in his bed. Sunlight filtered in through the window shades. It was morning.

_That dream, _he thought. _The nightmare from when I was young. I remember it…but I haven't dreamt it for years…_

He quickly shook away his troubled thoughts. Today was Charlie's birthday, and he really ought to be cheerful. The boy had been living in the factory for almost a year now.

* * *

Tarrant Hightopp walked slowly through the remains of his hometown. Although it had been many years since the Jabberwocky had destroyed it, everything was as it had been the day after. Plants seemed to be reluctant to grow over the burnt-out buildings. Tarrant didn't mind that, not much, at least. Witzend remained a memorial to the tragedy of Horunvendush Day. He visited there once in a while.

He remembered the layout of his town well, and easily made his way to where the town square had once been. Here was where he'd stood with his wife and children moments before the attack.

"Hello, Pet," he whispered, imagining that his family was there to hear him. "Hello, Lomenstra and Willmorat. I hope you're doing well, wherever you are. Since we overthrew the Red Queen a few years ago, Underland has returned to its former state. Everyone lives without fear now. I wish you were here to see it."

Tarrant wiped away a tear that was making its way down his face. "I really should be grateful," he said. "Grateful that you did not have to suffer through the Red Queen's rule. It was…over quickly, for you… I just wish that…" He gave up the battle against his sorrow, sitting against what was left of a tree and crying freely.

He sat there for a while, alone with his memories of his life before. He had been Hatter to the White Queen, and the Hightopp family had been large and prosperous. He had loved his direct family with all of his heart. _Beautiful Petronella…Sweet Lomenstra…Darling Willmorat…Oh, Willy, you had hardly begun to live!_

Finally, his tears slowed, and he prepared to leave. As he stood up, he happened to glance at the ground near his feet. Next to him, there was a hole he hadn't noticed before. It was so deep that he couldn't see the bottom.

_This must be a tunnel between Underland and Overland! _Tarrant thought, kneeling down next to the hole. The tunnel between the worlds opened and closed seemingly with a mind of its own, placing itself near where it was needed, such as near the garden party Alice had been at. The Hatter was considering whether to go in or not when the tunnel decided for him. The earth beneath him crumbled, and he tumbled headfirst down the tunnel.

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Wonka!"

"Charlie!" Willy forced a smile. "Happy birthday!" He had stopped halfway down the stairs, unable to drive his thoughts of nightmares away.

Charlie frowned slightly, not fooled. "Is something wrong, Mr. Wonka?" he asked.

"No. Yes. Just bad dreams." He'd never been very good at lying.

"Tell me about them," Charlie said.

Willy hesitated. He didn't want to worry the boy. Then again, Charlie had proved to be more mature than most adults he knew…

"All right," he said, sitting down on the stairs. Charlie sat down beside him.

"I used to have this nightmare a lot, when I was younger than you," Willy began. "It's always the same. In the beginning, it's a good dream. I can hear voices laughing and singing. I can feel a pair of hands holding me. In front of me, I can see a pair of large, bright-green eyes. I feel completely happy and safe, in those hands, listening to the voices, looking into those eyes.

"Suddenly, the eyes disappear. The voices begin to scream. Then I realize that I am surrounded by fire. All I can hear is the screaming, all I can feel is incredible heat. The hands hold on to me through the fire. Every time, I pray for them to keep holding on, to not let go. But they drop me. I fall through heat and darkness, the screaming loud in my ears, and there is another voice, screaming 'Willy, Willy!' as I fall away. And then, everything stops, and I am alone in the dark and the silence. When I wake up, I can still feel the heat from the fire on my skin. When my eyes are closed, I can still see the flames. When no one is talking, I can still hear the screams."

Willy sighed, touching a cool, gloved hand to his face. "The dream scares me, Charlie," he said. "It always has. For the past few years, I have been able to chase it away with thoughts of candy and other wonderful things…but now it's back in full force. It seems silly, to be so frightened of a dream… but I am."

"I understand," Charlie said.

Willy nodded. "No one really understands dreams like a child," he said, managing a small smile. "Let's go. I could use a party."

They stood up and continued downstairs. At the bottom, Willy turned right—and nearly ran right into a man who was going the other way.

The two men stared at each other. Neither could remember seeing the other before, and each thought the other looked slightly odd. But then their eyes met, and as green found brown the same thought raced through Willy and Tarrant's mind.

_Those eyes!_

"You!" Willy gasped.

Tarrant panicked and ran back the way he'd come.

"Hey!" Willy shouted, running after him. "Wait!"

They rushed down the hallway and down another flight of stairs. Then Willy stopped. The man was gone! Then he noticed the hole in the floor. Had the man fallen through? The hole looked way too deep, he should be able to see the hallway below…

_He had the eyes. The green eyes in my dream._

"Mr. Wonka?" Charlie finally caught up with him.

"That man had the eyes from the nightmare," Willy said. "I have to go. I need to find out what it means. Do you understand, Charlie?"

The boy nodded. "Be careful," he said.

Willy Wonka took a deep breath, then jumped down the hole.

**Author's Note: **Please review! Tell me what you think!


	3. Introductions

Behind a nearby tree, Tarrant watched the young man in the purple coat as he climbed out of the tunnel. The young man looked around curiously.

_Those eyes. My Petronella's eyes…_

The Hatter's wife had had incredibly dark brown eyes, like melted chocolate. Both of his children had taken after their mother in that respect, and Tarrant had never seen another person with eyes of that beautiful shade.

_Who _are_ you? _he thought.

"Hello?" Willy called. "Is anyone there?"

He didn't like this place. It looked like a wildfire had hit it. Everything was dark and dreary, and lifeless. But there was something strangely familiar about it…

Trying to stay out of sight, Tarrant stepped on a twig, which snapped loudly. Willy turned sharply towards the sound.

"Who's there?" he said. "Come out."

Tarrant hesitated, but he was curious, so he slowly stepped into view.

Again, their eyes met.

"You're the eyes," Willy said. "You're the eyes in my dream."

"Who _are_ you?" Tarrant asked.

"I'm Willy. Willy Wonka."

"Willy?" _No. It can't be. This is just some trick, some crazy delusion. But those eyes!_

"Is Willy…short for something?" the Hatter asked.

Willy shrugged. "William, I guess. Everyone always called me Willy, even my father."

"And your mother?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Willy. Please tell me. About your mother."

Willy frowned. "I never had a mother," he said. "Now, I think you owe _me _some information."

Hatter nodded distractedly. "My name is Tarrant Hightopp," he said. "I was once Hatter to the White Queen."

"What happened here?" Willy asked, indicating the burnt-out town.

"This was…my home," Tarrant said. "The Red Queen destroyed it, years ago. I lost my entire family on that day."

"I'm sorry," Willy said.

"I had two children," the Hatter continued. "A little girl named Lomenstra, and a baby boy." He paused. "Willmorat. But we always called him…Willy."

**Author's Note: **I really don't know what I'm going to do with this, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. Otherwise, it's just going to sit here until I'm inspired… Sorry.


	4. Charlie: Down the Hole

I hadn't intended to fall into the hole. I was just looking to see if I could see where Mr. Wonka had disappeared to, when the floor suddenly seemed to tilt…and now, I was lying on the floor in a small room with many doors and a high, curved ceiling.

I sat up and looked around slowly. The only furniture I could see was a clear glass table with a half-empty bottle lying on it. There was a tag on the bottle which said "Drink Me" in large letters. But living in a magical chocolate factory had taught me to treat any proffered food or drink with at least mild caution, so I ignored it for the moment.

There was a hole in the floor nearby, and since there was no such hole in the ceiling, I guessed that I must have fallen in through it. That, however, defied everything I ever learned in science class. Then again, I had been spending the last year in a _magical _chocolate factory, so I accepted it as a possibility.

_Maybe if I jump in the hole, I'll get back to the factory, _I thought. _Then again, it could take me anywhere. I should figure out where I am first before I fall into any more holes._

I began to try the doors, but they were all locked. Then I saw a tiny door, less than a foot tall. There was a key in the keyhole! I opened the door, but then realized that I was much too big to fit through it.

_Now what? _I thought, pulling the key from the door and glancing around the room. _Do I try the hole? Or…_

My gaze fell on the bottle.

_Drink me._

_Why not? _I thought, holding the key tight in my left hand as I reached for the bottle with my right, bringing it to my lips.

The liquid tasted _terrible!_ I barely managed to swallow any of it without choking. As I put the bottle back on the table, the table seemed a lot taller and my clothes a lot looser.

_I'm shrinking! _I realized. Soon, I was covered in my clothes, which now seemed like big tents. Careful not to lose the key, I untangled myself from the layers of fabric.

Suddenly, I was naked.

Although there was no one in sight, I self-consciously tore a strip of cloth from my shirt sleeve and tied it around my waist. _That will have to do for now, _I thought._ I hope there's an outfit my size somewhere on the other side of the door…_

I ran over to the door, turning the key in the lock and pushing the door open. I stepped out of the room of doors and onto a staircase that began at my feet and extended to the ground a few yards below. There were colorful plants everywhere, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. In the distance, trees thickened into a forest.

Two small bugs whizzed past my head, chasing each other in circles. But as I looked again, they didn't look like bugs. One was a dragon, and the other a rocking horse.

_Mr. Wonka didn't show us _this _part of the factory, _was all I could think.

* * *

_Mallymkun watched the boy suspiciously as he made his way down the steps. No one had come through that door since Alice came to Underland her second time. So who was this new Overlander?_

_Now, he was looking around touching everything. The dormouse didn't like it. She turned and ran back into the foliage, pausing every now and then to make sure the boy hadn't gone anywhere._

**Author's Note: **Hi, everyone! Thank you so much for the positive feedback. Special kudos to pachysam for the idea! (Not sure what I can do with the woolly mammoth, though…) Now, let's see where the ride takes us!


	5. Charlie: Dodo and Dormouse

I'd been wandering around for a while, staring at everything, when I heard the hushed voices.

"You see? I told you someone was here."

"Strange. I wonder how he got through the door."

Someone, or some_ones, _was watching me. I looked towards their voices, but the foliage was too thick to see where they were.

"It's not like it's hard. Only Alice ever had any trouble with it."

"Why you still have a poor opinion of our Champion, even after she proved to us all that she was the right Alice, I will never know…"

I slowly walked over to the bush I was pretty sure that they were hiding behind, trying to not make it look like I was coming.

"And we're going to keep it that way. What do we do about _this_ one?"

That voice sounded female, and I thought the other was a guy. Now, I was right by the bush. I hesitated—would barging in on them be rude?

_They're spying on me, _I thought. _If that's not rude, then I don't know what is._

With that, I pushed the leaves aside, coming face-to-face with…

_…a dodo bird and a dormouse?_

The dodo squawked in alarm and leapt backwards, despite the fact that he was larger than me in my current size. The dormouse took a defensive stance and drew what appeared to be a minuscule sword from its belt. _Its belt?_ Both animals were wearing _clothes…_

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Who are _you?_" the dormouse demanded. It was the female.

"I'm Charlie," I said. "Why were you watching me?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, ignoring my query.

"Why do you want to know?" I retorted.

"Why won't you just answer the question?"

"Why do you keep answering my questions with your own questions?"

"Just tell me what you're doing here."

"Look, _you _were spying on me. I think I deserve an answer."

"Okay, let's put it this way: I'm armed, and you're not, and if you don't cooperate…"

"You're half my height! And if I was my normal size, I'd have even more of an advantage!"

"Ah, but you're _not _your normal size! Not that it would make a difference if you were. I've fought creatures bigger than you."

"I'm having an argument with a dormouse!" I exclaimed, suddenly realizing the absurdity of the situation.

"And what's wrong with that?" the dormouse snapped.

"It's impossible!"

"If it was impossible, would it be happening?" she challenged.

"No, it wouldn't," I admitted.

"So, then, it must be possible," the dormouse concluded.

We stood there for a few moments, just staring at each other.

"…who are you?" I finally broke the silence.

"Who are _you?_"

"I told you that already. I'm Charlie."

"Yes, you said that. But who's Charlie?"

"Charlie Bucket," I said. "I'm a boy. I live in London. I have a mom, and a dad, and four grandparents, and we all live in Mr. Wonka's chocolate factory now, because I won the contest, and I'm going to own the chocolate factory someday…"

The dormouse was giving me a strange look, and I realized that I was babbling.

"Sorry," I said. "That wouldn't make any sense to you, would it? In short, I'm lost. I think Mr. Wonka—a friend of mine—came through here earlier, and I sort of fell after him by accident."

"_Another _Overlander?" the dodo said, looking quizzically at the dormouse, who shook her head.

"No one else has come through the door today."

"Then could he be?" I asked.

"The door isn't the only way here from Overland," the dodo noted. "This friend of yours could be anywhere."

I sighed. "So what do I do now?"

"We send you back before you cause any trouble," the dormouse said.

"Mallymkun!" the dodo reproached. "This boy isn't causing any harm, and as far as we know, his friend isn't, either. We should help him find his friend."

"Overlanders don't belong in Underland," Mallymkun said, like that explained everything.

"The sooner we help him, the sooner he leaves," the dodo said in what sounded like a peacemaking gesture.

Mallymkun hesitated, but nodded.

"All right," she said. "Now let's go."

The dormouse turned and headed off towards the forest.

The dodo sighed. "My name is Uilleam," he said. "You said your name was Charlie, right? You'll have to forgive Mallymkun. She's a bit quarrelsome…"

"I heard that!" Mallymkun snapped. Uilleam shook his head.

"The Tulgey Woods is as good a place to begin our search as any," he said as we began to follow the dormouse. "Tell me more about your friend…"

**Author's Note: **I haven't updated since the end of June? Really? Wow, that's bad of me.

"Doctor What" and "pachysam": With all of those good ideas, you could very well write your own stories! I'm particularly interested in the steam engine… Maybe I'll use it, but not in this story, I don't think. If you ever use it in your own fanfic, message me so that I can read it, okay?


	6. Charlie: A Clue from a Cat

Soon after that, I was surrounded by more trees than I'd ever seen in one place. They were much thicker and taller than any trees near home. Of course, they might have just appeared to be so big because of my current lack of height.

"How do you ever find your way around here?" I asked the dodo. I was already very lost, but the two animals were forging ahead without hesitation.

Uilleam shrugged. "It's not so confusing, once you've lived here for a while," he said. "Eventually, you learn which spaces between the trees are actually paths, and which lead to places that you would rather avoid."

"What's there to avoid?"

"Well, there aren't quite so many dangers around here since the fall of the Red Queen," the dodo explained. "It used to be that you had to keep an eye out for Red Knights, or monstrous creatures such as the Jubjub Bird and Bandersnatch, which are now dead and tamed, respectively."

"The bird was killed by yours truly," Mallymkun called from ahead.

"Really?" I said. "Wow."

The dormouse shrugged, ignoring my intended praise.

"So, where are we headed, exactly?" I asked.

"That all depends on what you seek," a voice purred. I glanced around, but there was no one else there.

"Come on out where I can see you, Chessur!" Mallymkun snapped.

"Well, now, _someone's _in a touchy mood," said the voice. The dormouse crossed her arms. The voice sighed, and suddenly a large, striped cat with a huge grin appeared in the air in front of the trio of travelers. I jumped in surprise.

"And who is this?" the cat asked, fixing me in his slightly eerie gaze.

"This is Charlie," Uilleam explained. "Charlie, this is Chessur. Charlie is from Overland."

"Is he, now?" the cat licked a paw thoughtfully. "That makes two of them today."

"Two of them?" Mallymkun said.

"Have you seen Mr. Wonka?" I asked eagerly.

Chessur shrugged lazily. "I may have," he said. "Then again, I may not have. It all depends on where I was when he arrived in Underland. You never know, I might have been somewhere else entirely."

Mallymkun rolled her eyes. Evidently, this kind of confusing conversation was a common occurrence.

"See here, Chessur, the boy needs to find his friend," Uilleam said. "Now, have you seen him, or haven't you?"

"…I don't see why I should tell you," said the cat. "It's really none of my business. He's having such a lovely time, and I'd hate to spoil it."

"Who is?" asked the dormouse. "This Overlander, or the other one?"

Chessur just smiled even wider in response. Mallymkun fingered the hilt of her sword.

"Please, will you tell me where he is?" I pleaded.

The cat sighed. "You all are no fun!" he complained. "The Overlander man is in Witzend, having a very interesting conversation with our friend, the Hatter."

"Witzend?" I said, looking to Uilleam and Mallymkun for an explanation. The expression on the dormouse's face had gone oddly dark.

"It's a town west of here," said the dodo.

"It _was _a town," the dormouse corrected. "Before it was destroyed, that is. Hatter left here yesterday…to go there and visit his family." She turned and headed down another path through the trees.

"There are still people there, even though it was destroyed?" I asked Uilleam.

"Well, no," said the dodo. "Tarrant is visiting his family's grave. He and Mallymkun are the only two people native to Witzend to have escaped."

"Oh…" I glanced at the dormouse's receding figure, now feeling very sorry for her.

"Fair travels," said Chessur as he vanished again.

"Does he always do that?" I wondered aloud.

Uilleam nodded.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" Mallymkun snapped, not turning around.

Uilleam and I sighed and followed her.


	7. Farewell for Now

"This was our house," the Hatter said. "You can still see where the walls were… You were to share a room with your sister when you got older, up there."

"With Lomenstra," Willy said, touching the charred wood and looking up at where Tarrant had pointed.

"Yes," said the Hatter. "There is so much here that could have been, so much that never was… But what _is _never ceases to surprise those who experience it."

Willy nodded. "I try to keep my life full of surprises," he said. "Some surprises are better than others, of course, but it's better than boredom."

"Just that is enough to prove who you truly are," Tarrant said, placing a hand on Willy's shoulder. "Overlanders are very rarely open to a life of surprises."

"All that you have told me today, about who you think I am…" Willy sighed. "It all seems so impossible…"

He turned to face the Hatter and smiled.

"…but I would be willing to believe it… Father."

A wide smile split Tarrant's face, and he wrapped his arms around Willy in a hug.

"My son…" he muttered. "After all these years, my son is alive…!"

Willy slowly returned the hug. It was slightly awkward… He had a father, back in Overland, but he was starting to doubt that that man up there was his blood father. And he had never had a mother, so being adopted made sense… He felt a strange connection to this man, this Tarrant Hightopp, and his world beneath the ground.

The hug was now a lot less awkward.

XXX

Charlie paused. Was that Mr. Wonka over there, among the eerie remains of buildings? And who was that man that he was hugging? He glanced at the dodo, who looked just as confused. The dormouse was frowning slightly.

"Is that your friend, Charlie?" Uilleam asked.

The two men pulled apart, and Charlie nodded.

"Yes," he said.

The boy and animals slowly approached the two men. Mr. Wonka, who was facing them, noticed them first.

"We have company," he said. The other man turned around.

"Oh, they're friends of mine," he said. "And… someone else."

"A friend of _mine…_" said Mr. Wonka. "Charlie! What are _you _doing here? And why are you so small?"

Charlie shrugged. "I fell in after you," he said. "And I had to get small, to get through the door."

"And who is this, Tarrant?" Uilleam asked.

"This?" The other man—_Tarrant_—grinned. "Uilleam, this is my son."

"Your son!" the dodo exclaimed.

"Impossible…" Mallymkun muttered.

"Mr. Wonka?" said Charlie. "I don't understand."

"Yes, well, it has been a very interesting morning," said Willy.

"Willmorat was just a baby on the Horunvendush Day," Tarrant said. "My wife and I left him with our daughter… Somehow, miraculously, he must have been sent to Overland in all of the confusion!"

"I believe that I was adopted," said Willy. "I never had a mother, remember, Charlie? Where else could I have come from?"

"I guess that makes sense…" Charlie said.

"And now, the family is reunited once more," said Uilleam. "What a wonderful occurrence!"

"It is, indeed," said Tarrant.

"So, now what?" Mallymkun spoke up. All eyes turned down to where she stood, arms akimbo.

"What do you mean?" Tarrant asked.

"You know what I mean," said the dormouse. "You're together again. Will it stay that way? Are the Overlanders staying here?"

"Mallymkun!" Uilleam began to reproach.

"Oh, shut it, _please_, Uilleam!" Mallymkun snapped. "It's a serious question!"

"They've hardly had any time together, and you're asking about how it will end?" the dodo continued.

"But she's right…" Tarrant said. He turned to Willy, his eyes questioning.

"I…" Willy hesitated.

Charlie was watching him expectantly. _Would _Mr. Wonka stay with his newfound father?

Willy sighed. "I have to go back," he said. "There's the factory, and the Oompa-Loompas, and there's still so much to teach Charlie…" His face lit up. "But you could come with me!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw Mallymkun stiffen, her face fearful.

_She doesn't want him to leave, _he thought. _Well, I wouldn't want a friend to leave, either…_

And so he was actually kind of glad when Tarrant, after a long pause, finally shook his head.

"No," he said. "I belong in Underland, Willy, just as much as you belong in Overland now. You were born here… but you're an Overlander."

"…so we can't be together, Father?" Willy's voice was very soft.

"Oh, we could visit each other, there's no doubt about that," said the Hatter. "But staying… No. I'm sorry, Willmorat."

"No, I understand. Charlie and I have been gone long enough, anyway. It's high time we went home."

Father and son embraced each other again.

"You might want to give the boy some upelkuchen for the road," Mallymkun pointed out.

"Upel-what?" Charlie asked.

"To make you grow again, of course!" said the dormouse.

_She has just as much of an attitude, even when she's happy, _Charlie thought. _Oh, well, I guess that's just how she is._

"Oh! Of course." Tarrant reached into a pocket and took out a small piece of cake, which he broke in two, handing one piece to Charlie.

"You might want to wait until you're in the tunnel before you eat that," he said. "You should get your clothes back then."

"Thank you," said Charlie. "How are we getting back?"

"The hole's still back over there, I think." Tarrant turned and pointed at a large rabbit hole at the base of a tree.

"Thanks for everything," Charlie said to the two animals.

"Not at all, my dear boy," said Uilleam. Mallymkun just shrugged indifferently.

Willy and Charlie walked over to the hole, looking back one last time to wave good-bye to their new companions. Then they grabbed each other's hand, so that they would for sure end up in the same place, and jumped.


End file.
